French pianist Pascal
Rogé together with violinist
Viktoria Mullova; soprano Barbara Bonney
and the Borodin String Quartet were
the founding members of the bold independent
designer label Onyx. It was launched
in 2005. As the recipient of most of
the Onyx review copies I have been generally
impressed with their programme content
and the consistently high quality of
performance and sound quality.

In this appealing release
of two of the Mozart concertos and a
rondo Rogé and colleagues continue
this elevated standard of performance
although this time I have certain reservations
over the sound quality.

Pascal Rogé
does seem to have become somewhat typecast
both in the recording studio and the
concert/recital hall as a specialist
in programmes of works by French maverick
composer Erik Satie and by Ravel, Debussy,
Poulenc and Fauré. Few that have
heard the recording will forget Rogé’s
magnificent interpretation of Satie’s
TroisGymnopédies
and the six Gnossiennes,made
in London in 1983, on Decca 410 220-2.

On this release, to
tie in with Mozart’s 250th birthday
celebrations, Rogé takes a welcome
break from the French comfort zone with
his first recording of Mozart scores.
That said, I understand from the Onyx
publicity information, that Rogé
frequently performs these piano concertos
in concert.

The opening work is
the Piano Concerto No. 9, K271
composed in Salzburg in 1777. For many
years the score has been referred to
by the subtitle Jeunehomme. Legend
has it that this arises from an alleged
dedication to an unknown French virtuosa
pianist named Mademoiselle Jeunehomme.
In 2003 it was reported in the ‘New
York Times on the Web’ by Lawrence
van Gelder that the Viennese musicologist
Dr. Michael Lorenz, from research made
in the City Archive of Vienna, believes
that the mystery woman behind the commission
was in fact Victoire Jenamy, a piano
playing daughter of Jean George Noverre,
a famous dancer who was one of Mozart's
friends.

Andrew McGregor, presenter
of the BBC Radio 3 programme ‘CD
Review’ has expressed the view that
the score, "is the one that’s
usually labelled the first great Mozart
Piano Concerto, a real breakthrough
for the twenty-one-year-old in terms
of style and content, and with a startlingly
dark and beautiful slow movement."

In the opening allegro
I was impressed with Rogé’s light
and firm playing and his judicious choice
of tempos. The andantino is weighted
to perfection but lacks the poetry of
Barenboim on Warner Classics; Perahia
on Sony and Brendel on Philips. There
is first class playing that is a match
for anyone in the final movement rondo
- dashing and vivacious with marvellous
energy.

There are many fine
accounts of this concerto that would
grace any collector’s library. However,
my favourite is the one played by Daniel
Barenboim directing the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra from Berlin in 1991. It is
on Barenboim’s 9 disc set of Mozart’s
‘The Piano Concertos’ on Warner Classics
2564 61919-2. I also remain impressed
with Murray Perahia’s 1987 version playing
and directing the English Chamber Orchestra
on his 12 disc Mozart set of ‘The Complete
Piano Concertos’ on Sony 82876872302.
Also exceptional is the version released
in 2002 from Alfred Brendel with the
Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Charles
Mackerras on Philips 00289 470 2872.

The Piano Concerto
No. 25, K503 was completed in Vienna
in 1786 a short time before the completion
of his Symphony No. 38, ‘Prague’,
K504. Writing six such piano concertos
in a two year period K503heralds
the conclusion of an intense period
of writing. In fact Mozart was to write
only two more piano concertos - K537
and K595 - before his death in 1791.

In the opening movement
allegro of K503 Rogé communicates
a reverential quality to this high quality
interpretation. He provides an underlying
mood of disquieting tension in the andante
and in the closing movement allegretto
displays an adventurous jagged edge
to his expressive playing.

Collectors are spoilt
for choice with this concerto and I
could mention at least a dozen versions
that I believe are especially worth
obtaining. My favourite account that
I have had for some years on a vinyl
record from the 1960s is played by Julius
Katchen and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
under Karl Münchinger on Contour
Red Seal CC 7539. It has been reissued
on compact disc on Vol. 2 of the series
‘The Art of Julius Katchen’ on Decca
460 825-2. I also remain a devotee of
the 1988 Berlin account played by Daniel
Barenboim directing the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra from the 9 disc Warner Classics
set mentioned above. Alfred Brendel’s
2002 release with the Scottish Chamber
Orchestra under Charles Mackerras on
Philips 00289 470 2872 is also exceptionally
well performed. Brendel’s coupling is
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9,
K271 and if one is looking for both
K271 and K503 on one disc this would
be my first choice.

The final score on
this release is the Rondo in A major
K386 that Mozart composed in Vienna
during 1782-83 around the time of his
marriage to Constanze. Two rondos A
major and D major were completed
at this time. Evidently part of the
A major Rondo was lost for many
years until a page turned up in 1980,
however, there is still some doubt as
to the authenticity of the music in
its entirety.

In this Rondo Rogé
and the Indianapolis Symphony under
Leppard perform the score with considerable
affection and their interpretation is
one that I will certainly return to.
My first choice in the A majorRondo is that from Murray Perahia
playing and directing the English Chamber
Orchestra on the above 12 disc Sony
Mozart set.

I thoroughly enjoyed
Rogé’s performances of these
attractive scores and the Indianapolis
Symphony under Raymond Leppard are to
be congratulated for their dedicated
support. My difficultly is that in these
frequently recorded works, especially
with the amount of recent issues in
Mozart’s 250th anniversary year, the
competition is just too fierce to recommend
this disc over a number of other superb
performances in the current catalogues.
Clearly any recommended version must
be excellent on several counts. I found
the Onyx sound quality somewhat problematic.
It was sharply bright in the forte
passages with a slight metallic edge,
putting my teeth on edge on too many
occasions for my taste. The soloist
is closely caught and at times the orchestral
detail seemed to vary depending on the
work played. The booklet notes are adequate
but I would have preferred more comprehensive
information.

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